Chapter 30
Allen watched as Megan went through her morning routine, made coffee, and let the dog out. What was with that damn dog? This time it came out onto the ice, barking in his direction. He glanced back up at the doors with his field glasses and was surprised to see Megan looking back in his direction with what looked like a pair of binoculars. He backed away from the small opening in his blind that he used to look out of.
He put the glasses down, wondering if she could see him after all. He stayed hidden for about 20 minutes, then took a chance, deciding to look again. The dog must have run back up to the house, he didn’t see the dog in the yard anymore. Megan was no longer standing at the door either, she had gone downstairs to start her workday. The deck hid her from view down there, but he could see there was a light on, so he knew she was at her desk.
Tonight was to be the night, but he needed to make sure she would be home alone. He decided he had some time, so he went back to the cabin, napping throughout the day. He waited until a few minutes before Megan usually ended her shift at work, then walked back to the blind. He had everything packed onto the sled that he thought he would need for the trip over to Megan’s that night. He had heard snowmobiles on the lake during the day, it was a small lake, so there were not many, but a few were good.
He was hoping to be able to blend his tracks with theirs. There were two places he had observed the snowmobilers getting on and off the lake throughout the day, so he planned out the route he would have to take to hide his tracks with theirs. It looked like fate was on his side though, it started snowing about lunchtime and has been snowing all day. He hoped it would keep up through the night. He looked up the forecast on his phone and saw that the storm should last for at least 48 hours. That was perfect, it would make any search for Megan harder .
He tried looking across the lake, but the snow was making it difficult. He could make out lights, but other than that, visibility was not good. He would stay until the lights went out, then head back to his cabin to rest until about midnight, then he would start his trek across the lake. Thankfully, he didn’t have long to wait, as she shut the lights off about 10 that night. He went back to the cabin, resting until midnight.
He checked his pack, to make sure it had what he needed. He checked his guns and put one around his ankle, the other in the back waistband of his fatigues. He didn’t bother with the night goggles; the snowstorm would hinder his view. He would have to rely on his compass to keep him going in the right direction. He had a flashlight in his pocket, he put his Bowie knife in a sheath on his hip. Deciding he was ready, he left the cabin, got the sled, and headed down the path to the lake.
The trek across the lake was slow, but he was able to keep his direction easily. He could make out some of the landmarks he had gotten to know while watching Megan. Soon, he made it across the lake, working his way up the backyard to the house. He stayed close to the tree line but was not worried that Megan would spot him. He got up level with the house, pulling the sled over to the basement doors. He quietly slid the basement door open and stepping in, leaving his boots outside the door like he did before.
Shutting the door behind him, he slipped out of his parka, leaving it by the door. He took off his gloves, lying them on his parka. He took out a pair of sterile gloves from his pocket, slipping them on, so he didn’t leave any fingerprints behind.
He listened carefully, and after not hearing anything, he headed to the stairs. Reaching into his pocket, he activated the devices, shutting off all cell phone access. He made his way up the stairs quietly, listening the whole time to make sure that Megan was still asleep. Pausing at the door to the kitchen, he listened again, after not hearing anything, he slowly pushed the door open. He stepped into the kitchen, making his way to the living room, leaving his backpack on the kitchen floor.
***
In the bedroom, Lucky perked his ears up, hearing something he stood up, growling. I heard him and woke up. Listening carefully, I didn’t hear anything, but Lucky growled again, heading to the bedroom door. I climbed out of bed, trying to walk to the door. Lucky got in between me and the door, blocking my way.
I stopped, listening closely, but still didn’t hear anything. I looked down at Lucky and saw that his hair was standing up on end. I debated what to do and then decided to go back to the bed stand where my cell phone was. Grabbing my cell phone, I tried to dial Josh’s number, but there was nothing. Looking at the service bars, I noticed it showed nothing there, which was odd. We always had decent service here. Maybe it was the storm.
All of a sudden, I thought I heard a noise in the kitchen, maybe it was just the house settling in the cold weather. Lucky growled again, deep in his throat, suddenly I knew it wasn’t the house. There was someone in the house. I moved to the hall, Lucky trying to block me from going that way.
Peering around the corner into the hall, I didn’t see anything. I patted Lucky’s head, moving around him into the hallway, but he stuck close to my side. I crept to the living room, looking around. Stepping out into the living area, I saw a figure next to the dining room table.
“Well, look who I found,” Allen said. I recognized the voice, instantly terrified. Somehow, Allen had found me. “I knew you weren’t dead,” Allen’s voice came out of the dark. Lucky was still by my side, growling. Allen suddenly flipped the light on, blinding me for a couple of seconds. “What the hell?”
Allen said, “You’re fucking pregnant?” I didn’t say anything, too scared to speak. “You slut. How long were you cheating on me?”
I just shook my head, I didn’t know whether to tell him the baby was his or not, maybe he wouldn’t kill me if he knew the baby was his. “Allen,” I started.
“Shut up!” He yelled at me. Lucky growled again. “Walk this way bitch.” I slowly walked into the living room.
“Allen, listen,” I started again.
“Shut up!” He said again. “I told you what I would do if you ever cheated on me. You not only cheated on me, but you are pregnant with his baby.”
“Please,” I pleaded.
“Please? You have the nerve to beg me? Five years of marriage, and you leave me for another man? You fucking slut. You’re coming with me. I’ll teach you a lesson. Let’s go.” Allen motioned to the basement door .
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Never mind,” Allen replied. “Let’s go.” He waved a gun at me, and my heart about stopped.
“Allen,” I tried again, “I’m not dressed to go outside. Please, I’ll freeze.”
Allen laughed, “Like I care. Let’s go.” I started walking toward him, trying to figure out how to get out of this. I looked around with my eyes, trying to figure out a weapon I could use. Lucky stuck to my side but was quiet.
“At least let me get a coat and something on my feet,” I pleaded.
“Just get over here and shut the fuck up.”
I walked closer to him. When I was within arm’s length, I stopped. He looked at me. “What the hell did you do with your hair? That is going to have to go back to normal. You look awful.” He reached out, stroking my face. When I flinched away from him, he backhanded me.
I didn’t fall but stumbled a little. Lucky growled, but I put a hand on his head, restraining him. I looked at Allen. “I don’t care what you think Allen. I left you. You don’t own me.”
Allen looked stunned; I had never spoken to him like that before. “The hell I don’t, you are my wife.”
Something gave me courage that I had never had before. “No, Allen, you don’t own me. I have a new life now, a life that you are not part of.”
“You bitch!” he exclaimed. This time it wasn’t a backhand; it was a fist. I flew backward over the couch, ending up on the floor. Lucky ran to me, whining. I started to sit up, dazed.
“Get up slut!” Allen exclaimed. He pointed the gun at me. I slowly got up, feeling blood run down the side of my face from his punch. “Get over here,” he growled at me.
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” I cried. Right at that moment, Lucky dove over the couch at Allen. The gun went off as Lucky hit Allen in the chest. The force of the leap threw Allen backward. He lost the gun; it flew into the kitchen. Lucky was on top of Allen, snapping at him, it was all Allen could do to hold him back. Allen put his hand up to Lucky’s head, Lucky grabbed it fully in his mouth. Allen screamed as Lucky bit his hand, drawing blood.
I was thrown back when the gun went off. I had been hit in the chest by the bullet. I lay there for a few minutes, watching as Lucky hit Allen and the gun went flying. I saw the gun fly into the kitchen. I struggled to my feet, blood running out of the wound, stumbling toward the kitchen .
Lucky had Allen pinned and was not letting go of his hand at all. As I tried to pass Allen, he reached out, grabbed my ankle with his other hand, and tripped me. I went flying and landed hard on the kitchen floor. I had the wind knocked out of me; I lay there trying to catch my breath.
Lucky had released Allen’s hand, going for his neck. I couldn’t move, my sight dimmed, and I struggled to remain conscious. My chest was on fire, I knew the bullet missed my heart, but it was so painful to breathe I thought it hit my lung.
I heard Allen scream again and looked at him. Lucky had him by the neck, biting as hard as he could. Allen’s hands were trying to push Lucky away. I looked for the gun and saw it a couple of feet away. I crawled over to the gun, feeling a hand grasp my ankle.
I looked back and saw Allen had grabbed my ankle. He twisted my ankle as hard as he could. I screamed as I felt the bone snap. In response to my scream, Lucky started biting Allen’s neck even harder. Allen let go of my ankle, trying to push Lucky off of him.
I pulled myself across the floor, grabbing the gun. I heard Lucky scream and saw Allen with a knife in his hand, Lucky was lying beside him on the floor. “NO!” I cried.
Allen, bleeding heavily from the neck, rolled over, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. He looked at me, starting to crawl toward me. “Fucking bitch,” he spit out, blood pouring out of his throat.
Lucky had almost ripped his throat completely out.
I grabbed the gun in both hands, aiming it at Allen. He raised the knife, bringing it down to my thigh. I screamed, pulling the trigger. Allen’s head flew backward, blood, and brain matter flying everywhere. Allen fell on my legs, and I dropped the gun.
I lay there breathing hard, unable to catch my breath. “Lucky,” I whispered. I heard Lucky whimper. “I’m so sorry boy,” I started crying.
A few moments later, Lucky was at my side, licking my face.
“Oh, Lucky,” I said, hugging him. I looked at him, it appeared as if the stab wound was in his upper hind leg area. He limped, but he seemed OK otherwise. He was bleeding pretty well though. “We need help boy. Can you try to get help?” I scratched his head briefly, feeling really faint. I don’t know what I expected, but as I started to fall into unconsciousness, I saw Lucky head to the basement door.
** *
Lucky struggled as he nosed open the door, then went down the basement stairs. His back leg hurt, and he was bleeding, but he knew his human needed help. So he went down the stairs, heading to the basement doors. He pawed at the doors, Allen had left them open just a little, just enough that Lucky was able to work on getting his paw in between them. He kept struggling was finally able to fit out through the gap in between the doors.
He headed outside, into the storm. He knew he had to get help, or his person would die. Lucky went through the snow, managing to find the path that led to Randy and Josh’s house. It seemed to Lucky to take forever, but he finally got to his destination. Making his way up the steps to the back door, he scratched at the door, letting out a couple of feeble barks, nothing happened at first, then Lady showed up at the door checking out what was going on.
When Lady realized it was Lucky at the door she started barking, running back to the bedroom and then back to the door. Lucky lay down in the snow on the deck, worn out by his efforts and the amount of blood he lost.
The lights came on in the house, and soon, the light on the back deck turned on. Josh opened the door, “Lucky?” he said. He picked Lucky up, carried him into the house, and lay him on the kitchen floor. Randy shut the door, following close behind. “Look,” Josh said, pointing to his hind leg. “He has been injured.”
“Another animal?” Randy asked.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Josh said. “It looks like a stab wound from a knife.”
“What do you think happened?” Randy asked. Josh was already up and grabbing his coats and boots out of the front closet.
“I don’t know,” Josh said. “Looking at his mouth it looks like he attacked something too. Call the cops and the vet, I am going to check on Mattie.”
Randy nodded but grabbed Josh’s arm as he was headed out the door, “Be careful,” she said. He gave her a quick kiss and ran out the door after grabbing his hunting rifle.
Josh ran out to his truck and climbed in, speeding over to his sister-in-law’s house. In the house, Randy was calling the cops, sending them to Mattie’s house, then calling the vet. After she made those two calls, she hesitated for only a moment, then called Jacob to tell him what was going on .
“Hello?” a sleepy voice said on the phone.
“Jacob, it’s Randy,” she said.
Jacob was instantly alert, “Randy, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know for sure yet,” she replied. “Josh and I were woken up by Lady barking. We found Lucky on our deck. It looks like he has been stabbed. Josh is on his way to check on Mattie. I called the cops and the vet.”
“Oh my God,” Jacob said. “Keep me posted, I’ll be on the next flight home.” He hung up, immediately calling the airport and making arrangements for the next flight. He got on the first flight out in the morning, then called his boss, explaining to him what was going on. His boss understood, telling Jacob to let him know if he needed anything.
“A ride from the airport,” Jacob said.
“I’ll be there,” his boss said. Jacob packed his bags, calling for a taxi. He could have gone to sleep for a couple of hours, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to. He went to the airport, waiting impatiently for the flight home.
Josh arrived at Mattie and Jacob’s house and switched the lights off before getting clear up to the house. He had a flashlight and grabbed his gun out off the front seat. He stopped a little distance away from the house, hiked up to the front door, and grabbed the key out of his pocket. He unlocked the front door but didn’t worry about the alarm, he wanted it to go off. He turned on his flashlight, first looking toward the dining area, seeing blood on the floor. He followed the path of the blood to the kitchen, what he saw there stopped him cold.
Some man was lying there with the back of his head obviously blown away. Josh couldn’t see more than that, so he walked forward. Soon he saw that the man was lying on top of Mattie’s legs. He ran to her, pushing the man off of her—he was obviously dead. “Mattie,” Josh called to her. “Oh God, Mattie! Can you hear me?”
Mattie was unconscious. Josh felt for a pulse. He felt a very faint one, almost nonexistent. He turned on the flashlight and looked over her for wounds. The one in her leg was bleeding heavily, but so was the one in her chest. He looked around and saw that the guy was wearing a belt he took it off, putting it around Mattie’s leg, in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
He grabbed the two kitchen towels hanging nearby, putting pressure on her chest wound. He was horrified by the scene and was having trouble taking it all in. He pulled out his cell phone but discovered he had no service. That was odd, he never had a problem with service here. He threw it aside, praying the police would be here soon.
Josh was putting pressure on Mattie’s chest wound, watching her breathing. “Come on Mattie, hang in there. Don’t leave us.” He pleaded.
As he watched, Mattie all of a sudden took a long, deep shuddering breath, then stopped breathing. “No, Mattie,” Josh cried, tears coming to his eyes. He started CPR, praying help would arrive soon. He kept up CPR and soon heard the sirens. Please, he begged, please hurry. Within minutes, the lights lit up the house.
He heard car doors opening and yelled, “Hurry! In here!” Cops came in the front door, taking in the scene by flashlight. “Please,” Josh yelled. “She’s dying! Please help me!” Two policemen relieved him of the CPR while a third called for EMTs. A fourth helped Josh up asking him what happened. “I don’t know. Her dog showed up at my house, looking like he had been stabbed and like he attacked something—his mouth was all red from blood. I had my wife call 911 and a vet while I drove straight over here.”
“I take it you know her then?” the cop asked.
“Yes, she is my sister-in-law. Please help her, she is pregnant!”
“I have a pulse!” the one cop stated. They stopped the CPR and monitored.
“Who is the man?” the policeman asked Josh.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I have never seen him before.”
The EMTs arrived soon, taking over care of Mattie. They loaded her up in the ambulance, taking her to the city. The police asked Josh a lot of questions, but finally allowed him to go home. One policeman followed him home to check on Lucky. Josh walked through the door and Randy ran over to him. She hugged him, then looked at him. “What happened?” she asked, then saw the cop behind him. “Josh?”
“Mattie is hurt,” he said.
“What? How?”
“It looks like she was stabbed and shot. This policeman wants to see Lucky. Has the vet been here?” Randy looked stunned. “Yes, he is still here, looking after Lucky’s wound. Lucky was stabbed. He checked him out and said he would be just fine, stitched him up, and is bandaging him up now.”
They led the cop into the living room where Lucky was lying in a dog bed by the fireplace, his sister, Lady, by his side. The cop got all the details about Lucky’s injuries from talking to the vet. Once he felt like he got all the answers he needed he left. The vet stayed, finished dressing Lucky’s wound, told Randy and Josh he would come back the following day to check on him, and then he also left. Randy closed the door behind him and went to Josh.
“How is Mattie?” she asked.
Josh shook his head, “Not good. I need to call Jacob.” He pulled out his cell phone, noticed he had cell service here while he didn’t at Mattie’s house, then called Jacob.
“Josh,” Jacob said upon answering the phone. “What’s going on? Is Mattie OK?”
Josh closed his eyes. “No, Jacob, she is on her way to the hospital.”
“Hospital!” Jacob cried. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure,” replied Josh. “It appears she has been stabbed and shot.”
There was silence, “What? Who did it?”
Josh rubbed his eyes, “I don’t know Jacob. The guy is dead. It looks like Lucky attacked him, allowing Mattie to get the gun, and she shot him.”
“Oh my God,” Jacob said. “Tell me she will be OK Josh.”
“I can’t,” Josh replied. “Her heart stopped when I was there. I had to do CPR.” He heard Jacob sob on the phone.
“Is she… dead?” he asked.
“No,” Josh said. “We got her heart beating again, but Jacob, it doesn’t look good.”
“I’m on the next flight home. My boss is picking me up. He will take me straight to the hospital.” There was silence, and then Jacob said, “You said Lucky was hurt too?”
“Yes,” Josh said. “I think he jumped the guy. He then came to our house to get help for Mattie.”
“Take care of him, Josh,” Jacob said.
***
Josh left Randy at home to care for Lucky, then drove to Nora and Donald’s house. It was now around 2:00 am, but he didn’t want them to hear about Mattie on the news. He knocked on the door continuously until Donald finally opened the door, Nora right behind him. Their eyes opened wide when they saw Josh.
“Josh, what’s wrong?” Nora cried as he came into the house .
Josh told them what happened, once they got over their initial shock they ran upstairs and got dressed. They all got into the car, starting for the hospital. The trip there was quiet, except for the occasional question that no one seemed to be able to answer. They arrived at the hospital, running.
They rushed to the emergency desk where a nurse led them into a private consultation room. She told them a doctor would come to speak to them in a few minutes. None of them seemed to be able to sit, pacing back and forth. Finally, a lady walked in wearing a doctor’s jacket.
“Hi,” she said. “Are you Mattie’s family?”
Nora spoke up, “Yes, I’m her mother-in-law. This is my husband Donald and our son Josh, Mattie’s brother-in-law. Her husband is flying back from a conference as soon as possible.”
The doctor nodded. “I’m Dr.Jackson,” she said. “Mattie is in very serious condition. She has lost a lot of blood and, unfortunately, has gone into labor due to stress. I have to take her to surgery to repair her injuries from the gunshot and the stab wound. I have consulted with OB; they will perform a C-section to deliver the baby.”
Nora was crying, “It’s too soon for the baby.”
“We know, but if we don’t deliver now the baby won’t make it. As it is, I’m not sure Mattie will make it. Her heart has stopped twice since she got here. I’ve got to go, now. I’ll be back to update you as soon as I can.” With that, she rushed out of the consultation room before anyone could ask any questions.
Nora sat down, holding her head in her hands. Donald sat down to comfort her while Josh pulled out his cell phone again. He called Jacob, filling him in on what was going on. He then called Randy to fill her in also. He told her to get some rest if she could, it was going to be a long night.
They waited in the consultation room, alternating between pacing and sitting. It was about four hours later that the doctor came back, this time dressed in scrubs. Everyone jumped up at her entrance. “Please,” the doctor said, “sit down.” She pointed at the chairs, taking the one nearest to the door as everyone sat down. The doctor sighed, running her fingers through her hair.
“Dr.Jackson,” Nora said, “please tell us, how is Mattie doing?”
“I’m so sorry,” Dr.Jackson replied. “Mattie lost a lot of blood. The bullet splintered when it hit her rib. A piece of it nicked a major artery, the rest of it went through a lung. ”
“What are you saying?” Donald asked.
“Mattie died on the operating table. We did everything we could, but there was too much damage and blood loss.”
“Oh my God,” Nora cried, weeping. Donald wrapped her in his arms, crying himself.
Josh had tears flowing too, but asked, “What about the baby?”
“The baby is fine,” Dr.Jackson said. “She is premature, but she seems well-developed and doing well. She has been taken to the NICU where they are monitoring her.”
“Can we see her?” Nora asked.
Dr.Jackson looked at them, “I will make arrangements for you all to see her, but it will have to be one at a time.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Donald said, as Dr.Jackson rose to leave.
She looked at them all, “I’m so sorry for your loss. I wish I could have done more.” She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Nora, Donald, and Josh all burst into tears.
Josh pulled himself together, calling Randy. “Josh?” Randy said. “How is Mattie?”
She heard Josh sob. Then he said, “She’s gone, Randy. They couldn’t save her.”
Randy started crying, “Oh no. God no. What about the baby?”
“Jayden is alive. She is in the NICU and appears to be doing OK. They are monitoring her since she is premature.”
Randy cried for a little bit, then asked, “Does Jacob know?”
“No, I haven’t told him yet. I can’t bring myself to call him to tell him over the phone.”
Randy agreed, “I think you should wait; he will be so upset. Telling him over the phone before he flies here is not a good idea.”
Josh looked at his watch. “His plane leaves in about 25 minutes. I will wait to tell him. He is going to be devastated.”
“He is, but he has a daughter to think about. We will need to stress that to him.”
Josh agreed, “We get to see Jayden soon. We can only go one at a time, she is in the NICU.” Josh told Randy to try and get some sleep. “We are going to keep one of us at the hospital at all times for Jayden. We will need you to take over later. ”
“I’ll be there,” Randy said. They hung up, Randy went to Lucky, lying on the floor next to him. “I’m so sorry, Lucky,” Lucky whined, it appeared to Randy like he understood, mourning the loss of Mattie as they all were.